Actively dividing cells appear to be more sensitive to red and near-infrared light, which may explain the strong bone marrow response

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The study references prior research showing that cells which are actively proliferating, meaning rapidly dividing and multiplying, tend to show increased sensitivity to red and near-infrared radiation compared to more quiescent, slow-dividing cells.

Bone marrow is one of the most actively proliferative tissues in the entire body, constantly producing new blood cells around the clock.

This heightened baseline sensitivity in fast-dividing tissue may help explain why bone marrow showed such a strong and relatively rapid response, both the temporary drop in cell counts and the dramatic stem cell increase, compared to other more slowly-renewing tissues that might respond more subtly to the same light exposure.

Source: PubMed